Make A Wish
by organanation
Summary: It's Sweethearts Day on Echo Base, not that Leia has any time for that. She has more important things to do, like fix the busted sensors at the surface. Wait-no one told her that Han had to come, too.


_AN: Some OTP Day [formerly known as Valentine's day but switched thanks to the lovely Otterandterrier] fluff for you!_

"You and Solo doing anything for Sweetheart's day?" Rieekan asked, smirking at Leia. She looked up sharply from her typing, blushing brilliantly.

"No, of course no—why would you—we're not even—no!" Leia sputtered, giving him a reprimanding look.

"Just curious; he _does_ call you sweetheart all the time," Rieekan jibbed.

"Well, I assure you, I don't return the sentiment," she stated, pulling his chip out of her datapad. "There you go, supply manifests and duty rosters for the next three days."

"Thank you, Leia. It's getting late. Why don't you call it a day? They're throwing a little get-together in the canteen. You know, drinks, dancing, that sort of thing. You should go. I heard they managed to scrape together the ingredients for cookies," Rieekan tempted. "I'm sure Solo will be there. You could have a dance."

"Carlist…" Leia warned.

"Only joking, Lelila. Only joking. Really, though. Don't stay in here all night," he warned, leaving her in the peace and quiet of her office—or the frigid emptiness, depending on how you looked at it.

At the moment, Leia was inclined to see it as frigid and empty. It was Sweetheart's Day, a galaxy-wide day meant to celebrate love. People exchanged flowers or candies. Couples made special plans for dinner, not that those things were practical on a military base. Still, it had made her feel particularly alone when she saw people in the canteen holding hands that morning, or when she'd found a folded paper card covered in hand drawn hearts and a poem tucked away at a radar station, or even when she found a group of friends exchanging little presents.

It wasn't that she begrudged these people their happiness; no, it was almost… _jealousy_. No one had made _Leia_ a cut-out heart or offered her a hug or written her a poem.

Leia swallowed her self-pity. Sweetheart's Day was a frivolity that she didn't have time for, not as a senator and certainly not now.

Still, it plucked at her heartstrings to remember all the Sweetheart's Days growing up, when her father would present her with a card or a fresh bouquet of Alderaanian lilies… Leia squashed that feeling, too. Dwelling on that would only make the day harder.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door and Leia was startled out of her reverie.

"Your highness, there's something on the surface that needs your attention."

"Right now? It's dark out there; it's got to be absolutely freezing."

"It's actually a balmy 24 degrees, before wind-chill. It's not snowing, no breeze."

"Very well. I'll be right up," she stated as she dug in the closet for her overcoat and gloves. She rolled her eyes when she came up to the surface-access corridor. Han was standing there, buttoning up his jacket.

"Howdy, sweetheart. Looks like we get to go on another swell little adventure," he teased. Leia rolled her eyes again as she tightened her cuffs over her gloves.

"What seems to be the trouble?"

" _Trouble_? Is there trouble? I'm not having any trouble. Are _you_ having any trouble, sweetheart?" he rambled, acting like she'd never seen him act before.

"Shut up," Leia snapped. "You know _perfectly well_ what I'm talking about. What is this 'trouble on the surface' that _demands_ my immediate attention?"

"You'll see when we get there. I think you're a little tense, princess. You should really get out more. Isn't it lucky we're going to the surface?" he asked. _Nervous,_ he seemed nervous.

"Han, knock it off," Leia demanded.

"Yes, your worship," Han placated. "I'm surprised you weren't at the party."

"I haven't the time to for frivolous parties, or for little excursions to the surface, so can we get on with it?"

"Fine with me," he agreed as he grabbed a box of supplies and gestured her to the access corridor.

They hiked up the steep corridor and Leia keyed in the hatch code when they reached the top.

"How do you wanna do this?" he asked. "I can go up there, you can pass me the box, and then I'll pull you up by the shoulders, _or_ I can give you a boost, pass you the box, and then follow. What'll it be? You want my arms around your shoulders or your waist? Or both?" he teased, leaning close and waggling his eyebrows, seemingly over his earlier nervousness. Leia wondered if it was possible to injure one's head from rolling one's eyes too much.

She looked at the hatch a few feet above her head. She then turned to Han, who was waiting impatiently for her to decide. It really might not be _that_ bad to be in his arms…no, that might lead to wanting it more than she already did…

Leia took a few steps back to get a running start, and somehow, she managed to get her hands topside. It was a bit more of a struggle to pull herself up by the wrists, but she dug her hands into the fresh snow and pulled herself up on her belly.

"Hand me the box," Leia stated regally, dangling her upper body back over the hole. Han stood, hands on hips, looking up at her as he shook his head.

"You're somethin' else." He pushed the box into her waiting arms. She was surprised to find that it was very light, nearly empty. Han followed the box through the hole and pulled himself to the surface with much more finesse than Leia had a moment earlier. "Ah, kriff," he swore, looking up at the sky. Leia's gaze immediately went up as well.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just—nothing." They stood in silence for a moment.

"Can we get to work?" Leia asked, hands on hips.

"I guess. We need to find the sensor module. One of 'em's faulty," Han explained as he pulled a flashlight and a small metering device out of the box and closed it before she could glimpse the rest of the contents.

"It's that flashing green thing," Leia stated acidly, pointing to a small piece of equipment that was glowing green and sheltered in a rock, not a meter from where they were standing. Han plugged his meter into the sensor module and waited for the diagnostics.

"Looks like a busted fuse," Han informed her, standing and looking once again to the sky.

"And?" she asked impatiently when he didn't continue.

"And…"

"I could probably fix it," he offered.

"By all means," she said regally, gesturing animatedly to the sensor. Han knelt and popped the cap off, fiddling inside for a moment.

"There."

"That's it? You dragged me all the way up here to watch you fix a kriffing sensor?" Leia admonished as he tucked his meter back in the box.

"Just wait, sweetheart."

"Wait for what, my fingers to drop off? It's freezing up here."

"Come here," he beckoned, taking her gloved hands in his and rubbing briskly.

"Han…" Leia began, trying to pull back.

"Hey, it might be a minute, and I wouldn't want to have to microfuse your fingers back on when we get back to the bay."

"Wait a minute for _what_?" she demanded.

"You'll see," he promised. "There, look." Han pointed triumphantly at the sky. Colors were dancing above them in a brilliant light display.

"The aurora!" Leia exclaimed, looking up in wonder.

"Have you ever seen one in person before?"

"A long time ago," she breathed, her eyes never leaving the skies. Han watched as the lines of green tinted with magenta danced across her face. She started shivering when the wind began to blow lightly.

"I…brought kaf," he said, going back to the box. He pulled out a thermos and their mugs from the Falcon. Leia accepted her steaming mug from him, holding it close and looking out over the frozen wastelands at the aurora.

"It's so beautiful," she murmured. "Momma and I would sit out on the balcony in our flannel nightgowns and watch during my winter holidays from school."

"Yeah?" Han asked. She nodded and took a shaky breath. "Hey, sweetheart, no tears," Han whispered, wishing he had the guts to kiss them off her face. He settled for brushing his gloved thumbs across her cheeks. "They'll freeze, and we wouldn't want that." Leia laughed shakily and wiped her cheeks with the back of her hands.

"It's beautiful, Han. Thank you for bringing me up here," she murmured, leaning into him and wrapping her arm around him. Han put his arm around her shoulders. He was delighted when her temple fell to his chest.

Immediately, images flashed through his head of the two of them together. Nights in his bunk with her bare side pressed into his, keeping warm on his ship. Stargazing from the roof of his freighter on some backwater planet in the rim, where there was no light pollution; Leia lying on a blanket alongside him as they looked at the lights of distant suns. Evenings drinking wine, her pressed into his chest as he kissed her until she couldn't remember the war, her work, the empire, the things they'd done to her, not even her own name.

"Yeah," he said, clearing his throat, "I needed someone to come along while I fixed the sensor array and I thought you might enjoy it. She nodded absently, looking up at the heavens.

Han, however, couldn't keep his eyes off her face. Leia was almost smiling, looking more peaceful than he'd seen her in…maybe ever. There was a look of childlike wonder in her eyes that he found so endearing, so captivating…

"Make a wish, sweetheart." Leia closed her eyes and a smile grew across her face.

"You, too?" Han shut his eyes and tried to think of something better than this very moment to wish for. He settled on those images he'd just conjured up, of Leia tucked against him, happily _his_. That was a pretty good wish.

She turned her head toward him as he opened his eyes and he could feel her breath on his cheek. The fur on the edge of their hoods meshed together until they were in their own tiny little world, separated from everything that ever got in the way.

"Go ahead," Leia breathed. "I won't stop you," she promised.

Suddenly, something screeched from frighteningly close. Leia tensed in his grasp and they both looked around, frightened.

"Wampas," she murmured.

"We should get back inside," he suggested. He packed up the box quickly and offered her his hands to steady herself as she jumped down through the hatch into the surface access corridor.

"I can do it myself," Leia stated, but the usual bite was absent.

"Right." She dropped down through the hole in the glacier's surface and he heard her tiny boots hit the ice floor a moment later. "Take the crate," he called after her, passing the box through the hole before dropping in himself. Han keyed the small door shut before they walked down the steep corridor together in silence. The hangar was practically deserted when they came through the double-bolted security door. Leia passed the thermos and the mugs to Han and turned to walk back to her office.

"Hey, uh, Leia?"

"Yes?" she turned back to him.

"Happy Sweetheart's day."

"Happy Sweetheart's day, Han," Leia replied.

She stepped toward him and stood on her tiptoes to press her lips into his cheek. He stood, stunned as she blushed and hurried off.

 _AN: Reviews make writers happier than a dozen roses!_


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